Panama Says Colombian
Guerrillas Attacked
Police Near Border
Six Colombian rebels
attacked a Panamanian
police patrol in the
waters off Panama's
border with Colombia,
the president's office
said Saturday. One
officer and three
guerrillas were wounded.
The suspects, identified
as members of the
Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia, or
FARC, were taken into
custody, the office said
in a news release.
Three were under guard
at a local hospital, two
with "serious" gunshot
wounds, and the others
were taken to a Panama
City prison.
The clash occurred on
Friday, when a
Panamanian patrol boat
approached what appeared
to be a stranded vessel
off the coast of Darien,
a Panamanian province
bordering Colombia.
The policemen offered to
tow them to shore but
once they neared land,
the Colombians took out
weapons and demanded to
be taken elsewhere, the
statement said.
Gunfire broke out, and
three alleged rebels and
the Panamanian officer
were shot. Police
reinforcements arrived
and took the suspects
into custody.
Agents reported seizing
five assault rifles and
uniforms bearing the
FARC logo.
Residents of the nearby
town of Jaque have
complained that armed
groups frequently
operate in the remote
area.
The FARC, a force of
about 12,000 fighters,
has been battling
Colombia's government
for decades. The
conflict has affected
Panama's sparsely
populated Darien
province, although those
who cross the border are
mainly Colombian
civilians fleeing the
violence.
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